SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh has praised Captain Smit Machchhar. The Indian pilot was seriously injured during a mid-air attack aboard an Israel-bound flydubai flight but managed to open the cockpit door, allowing crew and passengers to overpower the assailant, which averted a major tragedy.
Ajay Singh, who is the Chairman and Managing Director of SpiceJet Ltd, spoke to ANI from Japan about the horrific incident. It would have needed real courage after being stabbed to reach out to the co-pilot’s side and open the door. “Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian captain of flydubai Flight 1073, fought back after being stabbed in the cockpit.
He said, “The handle that opens the cockpit door is actually on the co-pilot’s side. When asked what goes through a pilot’s mind in such a situation, the executive said, “I think the first thing that goes through a pilot’s mind is saving lives and remember that in this case what really saved lives was the fact that he was able to open the door of that cockpit. “Despite being stabbed and seriously injured, he fought back, resisted, opened the cockpit door, and enabled passengers and crew to overpower the attacker – preventing a catastrophic mid-air disaster,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. The leader hailed him as a “true hero”. “My salute to the Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his extraordinary bravery,” Netanyahu said, adding that Machchhar saved the lives of 174 people. Israel’s Foreign Ministry also called Machchhhar a “hero”. Despite being severely injured, he managed to unlock the cockpit door, allowing Israeli passengers and the Emirati crew to intervene and save all the passengers,” it said in a statement.
